Women of Firm Faith

Verses 1-8, “Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, 'Make everyone go out from me!' So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph; does my father still live?' But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, 'Please come near to me.' So they came near. Then he said: 'I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has  been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliveran...

Verses 1-5, “And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, 'Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.' So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, 'Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, "Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing." ’ ”  Joseph was being used by God to test his brothers by placing his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. After Benjamin had received preferential treatment, he will now watch to see how the brothers respond. Verses 6-10, “So he ov...

Verses 1-5, “Now the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, 'Go back, buy us a little food.' But Judah spoke to him, saying, 'The man solemnly warned us, saying, "You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you." If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, "You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you." ’ ”   Jacob may have thought that he could outlast the famine and not return to Egypt, but God had other plans. Their lack of food would make it necessary to return with Benjamin, and face another trial. Even when we try to avoid walking through the fire, because of God's love for us, He will not allow us to escape moving forward. We need to trust our Heavenly Father even in the hard times, that He is always with us, and...

Verses 1-5, “When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, 'Why do you look at one another?' And he said, 'Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.' So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, 'Lest some calamity befall him.' And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.”  Famines in our life may seem like a bad thing, but they certainly can get us to move from our current position. God would use a famine to direct Joseph's brothers to Egypt, a place where they most likely avoided, knowing that they sold their brother and he could be there. God wanted the brothers to face their sin, not ignore it, and would use this situation to bring reconciliation. However, God wants us to be reconci...

Verses 1-8, “Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it  was a dream. Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh....

Verses 1-4, “It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.”  We know from the last chapter that Potiphar is the captain of the guard. Genesis 39:1, “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.”  So it appears that Potiphar was still entrusting Joseph with matters, despite the former accusations made by Potiphar's wife. Joseph is given responsibility over the two new prisoners, the butler and baker. Somehow, God is still giving Jo...

Verses 1-4, “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.”   Even through the trial of being sold into slavery, it was evident that the Lord was with Joseph and blessed him right in the midst of it. Often we think that God has to remove us from a difficult situation in order to bless us, but there is always blessing to be found, even in your toughest times, if you are willing to get your eyes off yourself and the situation in order to see it.  However, this will require you to let go of ...

Verses 1-7, “It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.”  Judah decided to mix his family, who were followers of the God of Abraham, with the ungodly Canaanites, by marrying Shua. This was in spite of God's warning and command...which was not just a bad choice...it was sin! In the days of Ezra, the Israelites had to abandon their foreign wives and children for this reason.  Ezra...

Verses 3-4, “Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.”  Joseph knew that he was favored by his father and that he would inherit the birthright. To top it off, his father gave him a tunic to wear, signifying his position, and constantly reminding his brothers of his favored status. We know from 1 Corinthians 13 that love is not proud...but humble, Verse 4, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up...”   You might get the impression from this chapter ...

Verses 6-8, “Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.”  Esau was blessed with material posessions, as was Jacob, so they could not even dwell together. Remember when Esau was so concerned that he had missed out on his father's blessing?  Genesis 27:34-36, “When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, 'Bless me—me also, O my father!' But he said, 'Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.' And Esau said, 'Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted ...

Verses 1-4, “Then God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.' And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, 'Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.' So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.”  It is clear that Jacob was off track spiritually, and had allowed his family to worship and accumulate foreign gods under his patriarchal authority; but also his son would think he could lay with his concubine. This can happen to anyone who allows compromise into their own walk or into the home of...

Verses 1-4, “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, 'Get me this young woman as a wife.' ”  Jacob brought his family to Shechem, when it seemed like God may have wanted him to go to Bethel instead.   Genesis 31:13, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.”   Living in an ungodly place would open up his entire family to the evil influences of the people of the land. There are consequences for our choices when fail to heed God's warning. Knowing that evil company corrupts ...

Verses 1-5, “Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.  But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, 'Who are these with you?' So he said, 'The children whom God has graciously given your servant.' ”  Although Jacob may have been expecting a negative reaction from his brother, the Lord had changed Esau's heart so that he no longer hated him as he once did, seeking his life.  Genesis 27:41, “So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in ...

Verses 1-2, “So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is God’s camp.' And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.”  Jacob was not alone on this path he was walking, and by God's grace, he was allowed to see the presence of angelic beings. If we could see angels, we also would be encouraged to continue walking the difficult narrow path that we walk as Christians.  However, our blessing comes in walking by faith in what we cannot see...yet we still believe. Elisha prayed for the eyes of his servants to be opened to see angels when they were surrounded by Syrians, with no earthly hope is deliverance.  II Kings 6:14-17, “Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, ...

Verses 1-3, “Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, 'Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.' And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.' ”   Jacob had not stolen anything from Laban, but because he was being blessed by the Lord, he was increasing more than Laban. If anything, Jacob was treated poorly by Laban, not the other way around; but jealousy can cloud one's perception. The sons of Laban were envious and let their bitterness grow into bad fruit. The Bible tells us the we should be content with what we have.  Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' ”   ...